Princess of Flames

Liara

The next morning when she got to the kitchen her father was already sitting at the table in the other room. She sat down next to him. "Don't you know better than to set a fire in those woods?" She opened her mouth to retort but Liara came through the doorway with piles of books in her hands. She stopped when she saw them and made like she was going to turn but Taylor called out to her, "What books are those?" She slowly walked over to the table and sat down across from them. "Just some old magic texts, I want to be able to use my magic better than any demi-fae, earth wielder before me," she said quietly but proudly. Taylor looked over the titles on the spine of the books, she raised a brow. "What about this one?" She pulled the top one off the stack, "Romance? That doesn't seem like magic texts to me." Liara's eyes went wide. "I must have accidentally grabbed that." Red started to bloom on her cheeks. "Don't worry it seems like an exciting book." Liara gave her a small smile. "You like to read?" Her father stood up."I will take my leave now before I get my eyebrows singed off." her father said and gave her a pointed look. Taylor shot him a glare that he turned away from. "That was one time with Soaren, not you." She looked back at Liara who was trying to hide her laugh, Taylor smiled back at her, "Actually, I love to read."

Taylor spent the next four hours with Liara discussing which books were their favorites, which genres they preferred, and the many magic books which Liara suggested that were fairly informational when learning to control her magic. Later they went just beyond the wards, Taylor showed Liara of the few things that she could do with her magic. Liara was telling her of some ways she learned that help with mastering control. Taylor watched as she made the earth move and bend at her every command. She watched as she made beautiful flowers spring from the ground around them. Liara told her of her sister, mother, and father who were living peacefully until five years ago when men had come to their manor and while they were sleeping and killed all of them even Liara's baby sister, while she had gone to her grandmother's for the night. Taylor had asked why she lived here and not with her grandmother. She had told her that her grandmother had passed away nearly two years ago peacefully in her sleep, and ever since she had stayed here being taken care of by a young demi-fae woman who had known her mother. And in return for telling about her life Taylor told her own; She told her of Asterin, of Soaren, Breanna, Aellyra, Landon her second youngest sibling who looked just like Aedion. She told her about Aviall, her court, and her life at the castle. The racing with Soaren, training with Breanna, teaching manners to Landon, and reading bedtime stories to Aellyra. She told her all of it.

They had to go back to the kitchens to eat. When they got there dinner wasn't fully ready so Emrys let them help finish cooking the stew. That was not his best idea; to let two eighteen-year-old girls cook food for one-hundred people. At the end, both of the girls stood by smiling like devils watching Luca try the stew. He tried to stop his grimace because he was just so nice, but not enough. Emrys came over and tried it which made him grimace too. He added a few spices and ingredients. He made them try it. It was delicious. How can somebody turn food from revolting to delicious?

At dinner Brydan and Liara joined her and Rowan at the table. Liara told Rowan and Brydan what they did today and that they made Luca try the disgusting stew that they were all eating. Taylor heard rushing footsteps outside the doors. She bolted out of her seat and had two daggers in her hands as the doors were pushed open. A guard rushed in, "Intruders came through the tunnel!"